At
present, the church that meets at Bethel
numbers a total of around 300. That number includes those who come Sunday by
Sunday, to those we see only a couple of times a year, and all else between ! The number includes our Pathfinders and
Icebreakers, and our Cornerstone ladies who usually only come on Wednesdays.
The number also includes the growing number of old people we have living in
residential care. Being part of the Church that meets at Bethel can never be
confined to those who simply attend this building, but
is wide enough to embrace those who know that the whole of their life is a walk
with God, and who look to Bethel as their spiritual home.

Bethel is “in the
community, for the community” and bases its life upon the free gift of
forgiveness and salvation offered by God the Father through Jesus His Son,
being in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

Bethel
is a community focal point for those who come Sunday by Sunday, to those we see
only a couple of times a year, and all else in between!Bethel touches people from the “cradle to the
grave”, with Toddlers, Little Lambs Pre-School Centre, One Way children’s club,
Waterhole youth club, Feeling Good and Cornerstone senior citizen’s luncheon
club.The love of God is pumped out from
this church not only through the community activities, but through the work of
the individuals who make up the church.

The
word Bethel is
taken from two Hebrew words - bęt ’el - meaning the House
of God.The word Church is taken from
the Greek word – kuriakon - which means belonging to
the Lord.The word Chapel is taken from
a Latin word – cappella - meaning cloak, and provided a secret place where
dissenters could worship God.Chapels
were break-away places, breaking the mould, objecting to the status quo,
wanting to make God readily available to any and all who would find Him.Our founders became dissenters and walked out
of a Church they felt misrepresented their God and they formed a chapel for
worship.Being part of the Church that meets
at Bethel can never be confined to those who simply attend this building, but
is wide enough to embrace those who know that the whole of their life is a walk
with God, and who look to Bethel as their spiritual home.Bethel
is a place where people can feel safe belonging to the Lord and it’s a place
where they can come to find the Lord.Bethel comprises of safe
houses within a safe house.Those safe
houses are the outreach groups which operate week by week and in many and
varied ways try to bring the reality of the Kingdom of God into peoples’ lives.

Here
at Bethel we operate with a Pastor, a group of Trustees (who by law are
responsible for the day to day running of Bethel as a registered charity), a
management committee (who meet monthly to oversee the regular running of
Bethel) and a whole army of the people of God, who day by day live out their
lives as witness to the faith they have placed in the son of God, Jesus Christ.

Together
with everyone connected with Bethel, we all make
up the community known as the Church that meets at Bethel, each one of us looking to fulfil our
unique place in the Body of Christ, each one of us looking to Jesus for
salvation, and each one of us looking to each other for support, love, loyalty
and encouragement.This Church is made
up of human beings who fail, get it wrong, mess up big time, and are in need of
forgiveness.We don’t always give that
which others need from us at the right time and in the right place.But we stand on one assurance:Our faith is not dependent upon a human being
getting it right, but on the unfailing love of God shown to us through Jesus
Christ.

Outside
the main doors to the church building, we have printed "This church opens
wide its doors, and in the name of Jesus, bids you welcome". That's the
truth - if you're looking for something more in life - if you're looking for
some rhyme and reason to why the world is as it is - if you're looking for hope
and a future - you're in the right place !

Welcome to Bethel

With Love

Pastor Jill

Bethel is not responsible for views and content of
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Bethel Chapel does not have
any official presence on any social media, including Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, etc.Any pages on social
media in the name of Bethel Chapel are therefore unofficial and we take no
responsibility for their content.If
you do find references to Bethel Chapel on any social media of which you
think we should be aware, please would you let Jill know on 01384
892137.Thank you.